The present invention relates to a rolling conveyor.
From German Patent Disclosure DE 195 24 308 A1, a rolling conveyor is known. According to FIG. 3 of DE 195 24 308 A1, the rolling conveyor includes a plurality of feed rollers 3, which are located in a row parallel to one another, so that they define a conveyor surface. On this conveyor surface, platelike workpiece holders are typically transported, which in turn carry the workpieces or other material to be conveyed. On their end regions, the feed rollers are rotatably joined to a first and a second bearing assembly 4a. In the region of the second bearing assembly, a respective first drive wheel in the form of a bevel gear wheel 8 is provided, which is solidly joined to the associated feed roller and is in rotary drive communication with a second drive wheel in the form of the bevel gear wheel 8a. The second drive wheels are located on a common drive shaft, so that all the feed rollers can be set into a rotary motion by the drive shaft.
The second bearing assemblies are each secured detachably to a frame, in the form of an aluminum profile section with undercut T-shaped grooves, and they can be secured to the frame in any arbitrary position. So that the bearing assemblies will be displaceable relative to the drive shaft as well, the drive shaft is embodied as a hexagonal shaft, and the associated second drive wheels have an adapted opening, so that they are joined to the drive shaft longitudinally movably but in a manner fixed against relative rotation.
The disadvantage of the known conveyor is that for installing and removing the drive shaft, a very great deal of space in the conveying direction upstream or downstream of the conveyor is required, since for that purpose the drive shaft must be pushed in the conveying direction out of all the bearing assemblies. This is especially disadvantageous if one feed roller to be changed, for instance because of a defective bearing. To that end, in every case, the drive shaft must be put out of engagement with the corresponding second bearing assembly, so that the latter can be removed from the frame. The displacement of the drive shaft in the conveyor that is ready for operation is impossible in many cases, however, since the conveyor is often integrated with a relatively large production line, so that there is little space available around the conveyor.